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August 22, 2011

Nope. Nope. The Good Stuff's Not Over After All. Not By A Longshot.

Hot damn, One Life to Live. There I was feeling like I'd been overstating the case and gushing far too much, and Friday's episode felt like something of a letdown and possibly a worrisome sign of things to come, but I really thought it was back on today. Really on.

I mean Victor and Téa gave us the first good laugh. Victor apparently "knows" Téa. "There's nothing you hate more than being lied to, so I think that kinda puts the kibosh on the whole 'till death do us part' thing, doesn't it?" Huh? How many times has he told her egregious lies? She takes him back without a problem, pretty routinely. What's he even talking about?

Jesus, Florencia Lozano and Trevor St. John brought it in their scenes today. Tenderness, regret, shame, humiliation, anger, passion, devastation, alienation. All of it.

Téa: No, you're not the man I thought you were. No, I didn't marry you for five million dollars, no, you were not the man on that island with whom I conceived a child, there are a lot of things you are not. You are not the man who kicked me out of my own house, naked, in the middle of the winter! You're not the man who nearly burned me down in a cabana. Oh, a lot of the things that we thought we shared that was good, we didn't share, but a lot of the bad things -- we didn't share those either.

Victor (laughing): Is this -- oh is this, sorry, is this your way of kinda saying, you know, "Always look on the bright side," is that what it is... 'cause it's really kinda messed up.

Victor (reaching for her but getting rebuffed): I don't need any of this, I don't need your explanations, I don't wanna make it worse. (Seriously, wow. That might have been some of the most sincere tenderness and compassion I have seen in years from this character. He really seemed to mean this. I can't look away! --Ed.)

Victor (it's going to take a while to get used to typing that!) then went on to tell her that he loves her and that he's not who she thought he was or who he thought he was but he does know he loves her. And I believed him. And that if she doesn't love him, he needs to hear it right now. And he didn't say this in a hateful, dictatorial kind of way. He said it in total vulnerability. I'm serious. This happened. Eventually ﻿Téa told him that she does love him, and he smiled. He kept smiling. He smiled and it looked real and I felt happy for him. Y'all. You know those promos that GH always does that have become a nationwide GH-viewer joke about some stupid thing that's going to "Change! Port! Charles! Forever!" and nothing changes anything the slightest bit? Um, this Changed! Llanview! Forever! Seriously. At least for me. So far. It's a paradigm shift and I'm a bit lost and turned around and I love it.

Oh and then this amazing thing happened!

Jack: I know all about you! You didn't even want me!

Todd: What are you talking about?

Jack: You tried to give me away to nuns! In a Mexican airport! (Uh, Jack, you didn't seem to be too bothered by this information when you thought Victor was your father. But you know what? This should be drama. Better late than never, I say! --Ed.)

Todd: It's not his fault he's an obnoxious little brat, is it? (pulls the gun out of his pocket) It's that son of a bitch who raised him. (The phrase "son of a bitch" takes on a fair new meaning here. Or is at least finally literal, and Todd's allowed to say so. --Ed.)

Interestingly, while Todd did show up at Victor's home with the gun, he seemed to be calmed out of respect for ﻿Téa, who he overheard professing her love to Victor. And as deeply, deeply messed up as Victor and ﻿Téa are (by their own admission!), I really liked this moment. What's happening to me?

In news that has nothing to do with The Tale of Two Todds, Kim's back!

And she was really worried about Clint! She stopped Rex to make sure Clint's really okay! I melt. I melt just a little. I'm a little biased. I love those two. I may have mentioned it once or twice.

Unfortunately, she then went to see a mystery hospitalized person that I am terrified is Stacey Morasco. This is not good news.

In other non-Two Todds news, that horrible kiss that we ended with on Friday? Ended in Jessica punching Ford instead of returning the kiss. Hell yes! And telling Ford they shouldn't spend time together, which resulted in David Gregory as Ford speed-talking his way through a few lines that I didn't understand... or care about.

I already mentioned this earlier on our Facebook page (Serial Drama has a Facebook page, in case you didn't know -- come visit us!), but this is my bit of shameless self-promotion for the day if any of you live near/in NYC. A (free!) reading of my new play Next Time on Spring Valley is coming up this very Thursday at 3pm at 59E59 Theaters in Manhattan; it's ALL about soaps and soap fans and should be a very good time. Check out this link for details and where to RSVP if you're into this sort of thing. I promise there will be plenty of inside jokes that are right up your alley if you're a soap lover!

SWEET JESUS. I have this little addendum to throw in after having gone back to catch the sequence that I missed because of the news report. According to Dani? "The guy that raped Marty Saybrooke? That was [Starr's] precious Todd."

This is where Louise has an effing aneurysm. That Dani needs a smack in the face. What the hell does she call what Victor did to Marty Saybrooke? I am absolutely going to lose my mind. Is this how this is going to go? TSJTodd is now the non-rapist brother? Damn. Damn. I wish I hadn't gone back and watched that sequence because I loved this episode, but if this is the story they're selling now? That Victor is an innocent and only Todd is a Big Bad? No indeed. Not buying it. We watched Victor commit rape and assault and kidnapping and abuse (not to mention all manner of white collar crimes) year after year since 2003.

Starr gave a half-decent retort, but only half-decent. Not good enough.

I'm all for the complicated bad boys, but not if every bad act gets erased for one of them. No chance. Todd's a nasty piece of work, and so is Victor. I can live with that, and have been fascinated watching it. Why do they need to do this?!

Comments

ITA that they glossed over DBL when Jack was played by CLP, but I can get why he quickly forgave Victor for it. By the time Jack learned about DBL, he had a lot of happy memories of Victor, so he was able to reconcile what he thought Victor did with the knowledge that Victor did love him.

There's none of that with Todd. All Jack knows about Todd is that this is the man who didn't give a damn about him, gave him away, and gave his mother a can of dirt as a replacement. And to top that all off, Todd didn't even really apologize for it.

I am definitely glad that this will finally be addressed like it should, though. And seeing as how AT did a pretty decent job today, I think he can bring it.

I loved, loved Jessica punching Ford and telling him that they shouldn't see each other today. Too bad she then spouted stuff about how he's the only one she can talk to.

Ohh Louise you are such a better person for me since I can't see Victor on screen without thinking about rapemance or all of Starr's pregnancy's drams's and hating on him. Although I do think he and Tea desreve each other and DanYeller. Who apparently just screams at everyone now but KA better get an emmy nod.
And is my RH fangirlishness showing or did I actually see a flickering of emotion on Jack's face today when AT was interacting with Todd.

I'm going to be in the minority today I think. I was not into the TSJ's acting today. I liked the scenes (anything to keep Tea away from TnB) but I felt like TSJ checked in and out at times. Maybe I'll just never get used to his brand of acting.

I wish Jack was played by a better actor but I can see improvement. Maybe with increased time around vets, he'll improve. I hope so - I can see a score of storyline potential with him right now.

I need a gif of Jessice punching Ford. I seriously hope they don't end up together.

waiting for wow,trust me, I am definitely not a better person than you are! He's still an abusive rapist (just like the other one), so this isn't an "all is forgiven" situation. It's just seeing new light and a new layer, and some actual sincerity from a character who has been dangerously insincere.

And nope, not just RH fangirlishness! Trischitta eked something out today. He really did. I won't call him good, but he was decidedly not awful. Big story is upping his game!

LB if I had any clue how (or the technology?) to make a gif of Jess punching Ford, I so would. One day, one day!

I have such mixed feelings about this. I was a huge Todd/Tea fan back in the day. FL & RH had amazing chemistry! The manipulation, screaming fits and perverse sexual tension had me hooked. Tea was the ultimate smart girl making foolish choices. Now all these years later... she is STILL making the worst possible choice! I was hoping for a T&T(FL/RH) reunion, but this feels right. TSJ has been so great in this story, I'm upset that the writers made him so remote and distasteful for so long. I never liked him before but I hope he finds his way onto another one of "my stories".

P.S. RH looked like he REALLY wanted to clock that kid at the end of their scene! I've felt that way all year...

Well, Roger is one of the best when it comes to working with kids, so maybe he's pushing AT to get better.

Also, I thought Todd handed baby Jack to David when they were still in the hacienda not long after he was born. Of course, the classic T&B arguing was going on, so I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear that part.

I'm really rather sick of Tea/Victor and every single beat of their relationship playing out so that Ron makes sure we don't miss one single tear of laugh-cry or monotonous declaration of love or sex scenes.

None of this is a surprise and none of this particularly enticing to me.

Tea had her one on one the day after Todd revealed himself after Vickerman. Blair had to wait three weeks. We've had the Lovefest at Rapehaus for what seems like an eternity. Awww... poor Victor, it's not HIS fault.

Huh, do you think he'll get any kind of closure scene with Blair? You know that person he was in an off and on relationship for FIVE YEARS?! The one he lied to the most? The one he broke repeatedly and called a lying whore? No? No closure for Blair?

Will anyone get to call him out for the actual real life shit he did or is it just too soon and we have to make damn sure we play out the Poor Victor cycle complete with declarations of love and devotion from EVERYONE and a complete white-wash off the asshole he was?

Over it. Tell me when he's gone and Tea finally steps back and lets Blair have something to say or feel?

I'm guessing that's not likely to happen. And if Blair IS given a chance to say and share things from her point of view, I am also positive that Tea will either be right there IN the scene also or have scenes of her own reminding us what SHE is going through.

They can't seriously try to sell TSJ's Victor as ANY sort of good guy - they just can't. I've only been watching since he's had the role, and I've loathed Todd Manning plenty. And I've enjoyed having TSJ play such a loathsome character. But NO WAY is he any sort of a good guy, not with all the crap he's pulled, not only with Marty, but with Starr, Hope, Jessica - with virtually anyone of the "family" he supposedly loves. As I understand it, Todd Manning is not now and never has been a hero. And neither has Victor. They both ARE, though, fascinating characters, even when they're loathsome.

Contrast that with Ford, who is not only loathsome, but boring and irritating and one-dimensional and creepy and worthless and played by a guy who makes the kid who plays Jack look like Lawrence Olivier. One of OLTL's WORST ACTORS EVER playing their all time most WORTHLESS CHARACTER EVER.

I loved the scenes with Tea and Victor today. For me, Tea is a fascinating, multi-faceted character, played by an absolutely superb actor. FL is a gem.

I know there were some scenes with Rex and a bunch of pole dancers, but with the other stuff that was on, who can be bothered to remember?

Yeah Tea seems to be RC's pet. No trouble slowing the story for her but Blair? Who cares about Blair? The woman who actually ushered in RH's return story? I like that Todd's been pretty consistent in wanting Blair since he got back but wy isn't the writing supporting her viewpoint yet? And also, can I really keep faith that RC isn't going to make Todd suddenly enamored with Tea?

Trevor St. John's about to leave, though, so I can see why the focus would be on his character's relationship before he leaves. And unfortunately his character hasn't given a damn about Blair in years, so he's not going to be seeking her out desperate for her reassurance. I really think we're going to see a shift soon.

Here's my major beef with Todd#1 vs Todd#2, yes, it's good and soapy drama and I'm enjoying the story, but come on! Own it, writers! You wrote Todd#2 doing just as much damage in Llanview as Todd#1 and we were told for eight years that he WAS Todd! Todd#1 does not get off the hook for raping Marty just because he rescued CJ, Sarah and Jessica in that car wreck. Powell and the other guy went to prison and Todd#1 was pardoned by the Governor and still did horrific things afterwards!

Was Victor, Jr. just as vile as his twin brother Todd or was he "special" (lol) and led a normal life with his crazy mother the CIA rogue? Since Victor was brainwashed and told all of the horrible and vile things that Todd did over the years make him subconsciously act accordingly once he arrived in Llanview. I find all of this riveting since we don't have a clue about the first 31 years of Victor Jr.'s life before Todd was kidnapped and brought to the CIA facility.

I hope RC is backing off putting Jessica with sleazy Ford. It's bad enough that Brody is going under the bus so that bland McBain can end up as Liam's father.

Starr is a twit. Dani should have smacked said twit who pushed and pushed her to accept Todd#2 aka Victor as her father. Starr's mealy mouth comments about knowing that Victor was a fake is stupid. I watched Starr, Viki and Jessica accept Victor as Todd since he sure and heck wasn't John McBain. The writers copped out IMO and should have waited until Irene showed up and told them how she sent Victor to Llanview to replace his twin brother without having Starr, Viki and Jessica make silly comments that they knew something was off with Todd#1 when they never once over the last eight years acting like something was wrong.

The writers copped out IMO and should have waited until Irene showed up and told them how she sent Victor to Llanview to replace his twin brother without having Starr, Viki and Jessica make silly comments that they knew something was off with Todd#1 when they never once over the last eight years acting like something was wrong.
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I meant to say Todd#2 aka Victor, Jr.!

I gotta say, I think Starr's and Viki's comments are more like "hindsight is 20/20." Of course they're looking back now and saying they'd seen it all along, I think that's very human even though it isn't true. I think it's good writing, honestly.

/-/-/ I gotta say, I think Starr's and Viki's comments are more like "hindsight is 20/20." Of course they're looking back now and saying they'd seen it all along, I think that's very human even though it isn't true. I think it's good writing, honestly./-/-/

That's how I've seen it too, Louise. It's something many of us do when we find something out in the present that shifts a different light on the past. And maybe a person gets reminded, as I'm sure Starr was by what Todd aka Victor did with her and Cole, and it shocked her then because it was out of character, and now she knows why it was out of character.

I can't be unhappy at this point with any of it - it's all still unfolding. And the pacing of the storyline is fast as well. So far, so good, IMO.

Louise, I thought Starr's retort to Dani was pretty damn good, actually. I liked the sisters' fight. And I don't think, as of yet, they're trying to make Victor the "good" twin.

I'm terrified of a revivified Stacy, too, Louise. However, if she does come back, at least Farah Fath will probably play her (because freezing to death is as good as plastic surgery?). I mean, she's not a great actress, but she's better than Crystal Hunt. But I'm not totally convinced it's Stacy yet. I think it might be a fake-out. We'll see.

As a TnT fangirl, I adored the scenes between Victor and Tea! Yes, Victor is still a sociopathic dirtbag of his own doing, but he also still is her soulmate. Unlike Todd, he always chose her, even when tempted by Blair. I'm glad they were able to show some tenderness before he's killed off.

I was hoping the reveal would force people to stop calling the Todd/Marty pairing a "rapemance," since lying to/manipulating a person is not the same thing as rape. As regrettable as that storyline was, Marty still gave her unforced consent.

I get Starr's rigid defense of Todd, because no matter how awful he was to other people, he was always exceptionally good to her. Her relationship with Victor changed once Cole came into her life. Who's to say how Todd would have reacted to that situation (I don't think he knows yet), but her only memories of him are good.

Yeah, I think we're going to see an Al/Michael situation with the Stacy thing. She's probably been in a coma all this time, Gigi's rambling spirit will take her over and then it'll be FF-playing-Stacy-but-with-Gigi's-spirit. Which I don't find interesting at all, so whatever.

The only way I could find it interesting is if the s/l meant an appearance by Kyle, Fish and baby Sierra Rose. But if Gigi/Stacy tried to take her away from them, I would blow a gasket.

Louise, I'm not sure what you mean by "what he did to her". Could you explain, please?

I've always been of the opinion that while it was a disgusting, vile thing to do, it was not actually rape. I'm of the same mind as Bianca, in that I don't feel manipulation or lies (even whoppers like the ones Victor told) makes it any less consensual. If that were the case, I'm guessing 70% of men would be in prison.